Home > Recap > Rick (page 6)

Thursday, July 27, 2000	Volume 9. Issue 6

And Then There Were Three	Big Stereos Make Friends
It was a foggy Thursday morning when it happened - a team of eight became a team of three. Damian had to go do some wilderness training with an elite group of rafting commandos. Linda was banished to Colorado by whitey. Chris needed to witness the ending of two people's freedom. Laurie had to go on a car fetching mission. Bryan was off on a Pump finding mission. That left Steve, Heidi and Rick to carry on the Martini mission. Steve and Heidi loaded up their bikes with clothes and camping supplies while Rick put an additional battery in his stereo bag. After the tearful split, the power trio hit the route (about 5 miles in...thanks to the placement of Phil's farm). Even though they would get separated various times throughout the morning they would always catch up at the next food (Bussey biscuits and gravy) or beer stop (see picture). By the afternoon, the three figured out how to ride together and became as tight as the religious right's ass.	Rick didn't know how his new stereo would change his life on RAGBRAI. Would the extra 25 pounds be a welcome addition or just more weight to lug around? After Thursday's ride, Rick knew that he made the right choice. "It started off early that morning," Rick recalled, "when these riders offered to let me draft off them so that there team could listen to the stereo. I looked behind me and their entire team was right there enjoying the tunes. We got separated on the gravel, but I picked up another group of people on that monster hill outside of Bussey. Then on the ride from Lovilia to Albia, Heidi, Steve and I, along with many others, enjoyed the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack. It's not as easy as it seems to do the Time Warp while riding. While most of my tapes are alternative and retro, I also have some specialty tapes like showtunes and big band. One guy from the Malletheads road with me for a while just because I was playing Tori Amos and R.E.M. I almost got a ride for Sandy out of the conversation. I'm always happy when others enjoy the music with me. I'm even happier when they block the wind for me. I'm happiest when they buy me a beer at the next town. I take that back, I like the wind blocking better."
Those Kids Can't Play Euchre	Beers in the Sun
Albia, IA - Local Euchre hustlers tried to entice the three members of Teamartini into a friendly little card game early Thursday afternoon. While the team was well versed in numerous games, Euchre wasn't one of them. Rick suggested Hearts, but the Knights of Columbus hall was definitely Euchre territory. Even though they didn't partake in any game playing, the bikers did enjoy the comfortable chairs, air conditioning, private pie area, cheap beer and good conversation.	Blakesburg, IA - For the first time all week the term "hot" could be used to describe the weather. Even though it only was in the upper-80's, Martini Steve said that it felt like the inside of Satan's anus. The heat took it out of Steve and fellow teammate Heidi and they found a nice spot in the park to take a nap. In the meantime, the third Martini was in the beer garden downing refreshing beer after refreshing beer. After his seventh thirst quenching diet Miller, Steve and Heidi joined the boozing frenzy. Steve and Rick went searching for some LT and found one who seemed to have a boyfriend with a good left hook. Steve and Heidi went in search of tie die and found some that they hoped wouldn't bleed onto their head or chest. Since it was all downhill to Ottumwa, the three decided to have just one more round.

Ottumwa...There Could Be No Better Town
Ottumwa, IA - Could there be a better way to end a beautiful day of biking? None comes to mind. Members of Team Die Hard, Teamartini and Team Pump all gathered on the short block of Hawthorne and proceeded to have one of the best nights of this...or any RAGBRAI. It started out rather rocky as reports of snotty behavior to hosts circulated among the riders. After many apologies, the aura was changed to one of peace and peace pipes. The main host was Die Hard's Gary Gullion. His vacationing neighbor's yard became the Pump campground. Their yard was just large enough for them to set up their full-sized authentic teepee. Gary's other neighbor, Dr. Rosales, opened up her house to Teamartini. With all of her kids gone, each team member had a bed. Some Pumps also took advantage of the air conditioning and set up camp in the basement. The hot tub on her back deck was also a welcome sight for the sore limbs of the bikers. All that Dr. Rosales asked was that the bikers accept her lifestyle (which included drinking beer and smoking). No problem apparently. They even found a soft spot for Pug, the one-eyed pug. After a thorough cleansing it was time for the all night deck party. When Rick asked how long it lasted, a non-smiling Pump said, "4:30 in the morning."
Deck Party Photo Gallery
Maralee chastises the Mystery Machines for not having a beer in their hands	Die Hard's Kiddy Loopers
Johnny Paco is alive! Is he free of STD's though?	Hot tub and cold Busch
Today's Naughty Bits and Pieces	Designers T-Shirts are Big Hit
Elevation chart is a RAGLIE - that final "V" occurred about 40 times Pastafari guys still make a good lunch If anybody finds the LT's teeth please glue them back in her mouth Ending the day's ride with a huge hill makes drinking the beers that much sweeter Dr. Rosales's son and his friends can put down the beers Team Pump makes some tasty sausage sandwiches At what point in the night did Mel decide to give Rick every other Fizzler	Ottuwa, IA - This year's Teamartini t-shirts, designed by Laurie Entringer, were a monster hit with trade trio from last year. "Now I have three shirts to wear this years," gushed a happy Bryan. The super cool shirts were yet another attempt to woo Wes and Sandy over to the team that is hip.